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First year Ellwood City Lincoln coach Dan Bradley oversees practice.

First year New Castle football coach Stacy Robinson oversees practice.

First year New Castle football coach Stacy Robinson oversees practice.

First year Union High football coach Kim Niedbala oversees practice.

First year Union High football coach Kim Niedbala oversees practice.

New Castle coach Stacy Robinson runs a drill during practice.

New Castle coach Stacy Robinson talks to the team after practice.

First year Ellwood City Lincoln coach Dan Bradley oversees practice.

First year New Castle football coach Stacy Robinson oversees practice.

First year New Castle football coach Stacy Robinson oversees practice.

First year Union High football coach Kim Niedbala oversees practice.

First year Union High football coach Kim Niedbala oversees practice.

New Castle coach Stacy Robinson runs a drill during practice.

New Castle coach Stacy Robinson talks to the team after practice.

The Lawrence County football coaching community went through some unusual change since the end of 2021.

Almost a third of the county’s programs found themselves under new leadership.

Stacy Robinson made the short trip to New Castle after leading Union for 25 years; Kim Niedbala took over at Union for Robinson and Dan Bradley was named head coach at Ellwood City Lincoln after Joe Lamenza resigned.

Despite all the change, the coaches have settled in and are preparing their new squads for the season. The News caught up with the three coaches as they worked toward their program debuts.

Robinson had no plans to coach this fall. Finally stepping away at Union after leading the program for the past 25 seasons, he was ready for a break. So, when he decided the time was right to get away from coaching — of course — New Castle’s head coaching position opened up and drew him right back in the game.

“Time has a way of taking care of things. It was great I was able to leave Union on my own terms without animosity from anybody. I think it’s a point to remember — I didn’t leave Union to go to New Castle. I was riding off into the sunset. Then, things started moving and here I am.”

Robinson, who served as the Scotties’ athletic director since 2014 as well, was sad to leave his alma mater, but happy to begin a new challenge.

“It wasn’t easy to leave Union. That team has kids of some good friends of mine that I have known since they were babies,” he said. “I read somewhere a long time ago that there’s a danger in lingering after your work is done. Union will be OK; they are in capable hands. They have a good coach.”

Taking over New Castle is a homecoming, of sorts, for Robinson, who grew up in New Castle, but moved to the Union school district when he was 12.

“My love for football developed in New Castle. I moved to Union when I was in 6th grade, but I always wanted to play football for the big Red Hurricanes.”

He was stunned at the opportunity’s timing, but seized it and has put everything into it.

“I didn’t expect it to be easy and don’t know what’s going to happen. But, the competitor in me, I had to give it a shot,” he said. “I thought I had a responsibility to walk through the door and maybe leave it open for someone to come after me.”

Robinson brought some of his assistants from Union and kept some who served under Joe Cowart with the ’Canes and added some others as well. Boosting the staff was key, especially since New Castle has roughly three times more players than Union.

“I just want to make sure everybody can get along and mesh,” Robinson said. “It is a bit of a challenge maneuvering that many people. I am still changing things and adapting to each year’s team. Do I have that hammered out right now? No. But, we’ll improve efficiencies as much as we can.”

Robinson has worked to build better football players, but also establish personal relationships with the ’Canes.

“Coaching at Union and the battles we had and the limited numbers of players, a closeness develops between the coaches and players. God blessed me to coach so many good players and great kids there,” he said. “It’s no problem to coach at New Castle. There are some great kids there, too, and I am getting to know them. A lot of their parents I don’t know, but they are surprised when I tell them I know their grandparents. Their eyes get real big then.”

Robinson knows he’s not doing it on his own. He has support from the local football community — and beyond.

“The support from people in the county has been overwhelming. People call me and see me in a store and wish me good luck,” he said. “It’s a good feeling. It’s great knowing I have a lot of support and people wishing me well. I appreciate that.”

Robinson leaves one of the historically toughest Class 1A conferences in the state — Big Seven — for one of the historically toughest Class 4A conferences in the Parkway. Both loops feature storied programs with legendary coaches and plenty of WPIAL and PIAA titles.

“People are telling me about the Parkway Conference, but I started out in the Big Seven, so I am used to having to fight every week. At Union, rarely did I ever take the field when we were favored to win. So, we just have to try to find a way to get it done,” he said. “You have a bunch of coaches with WPIAL championships and state championships, so it’s a challenge. It’s a chance for me to prove that people can coach at all levels.

“I know a lot of guys from the conference I left are pulling for me as well. There’s that stigma that Class 1A football is not as good or as high quality as some of the bigger classifications. I’ll just say that there are plenty of good coaches around now and they can coach at every level.”

Robinson is hoping to settle into a routine soon and find some normalcy.

“It’s been 100 MPH since I was hired. As soon as I got my clearances, I’ve been in the weight room every day. It’s part of the grind,” he said. “Lord knows I’ve been doing it a long time. I am just hoping God renews my strength so I can get it done again.”

The Scotties’ head coaching job is a first for Niedbala, a longtime assistant at the college and high school levels.

A former Blackhawk standout, the 1992 graduate enjoyed a successful collegiate career, where he was a three-time All-American safety at Clarion. He got into coaching at Glenville State (West Virginia) before coming back to Clarion for eight years. He spent seven years as an assistant at Edinboro before getting into the high school ranks as a member of Bob Palko’s staff at West Allegheny.

He coached with the Indians for four years before Palko resigned in 2018. Palko was named Mount Lebanon’s head coach in 2019 and Niedbala, who was slated to take over as head coach at West Allegheny, instead followed Palko to Mount Lebanon, where he served as defensive coordinator for the past three seasons. Last fall, the Blue Devils went 15-0 and claimed WPIAL and PIAA Class 6A titles.

So, why did Niedbala, who lives in Beaver, come to Union?

“First, I could be a head coach. Second, I am the athletic director, too,” he said. “It’s a much closer commute from my house, which makes it so much nicer. Plus, I knew Union always had great kids with a lot of skill and who were tough and always competed. It wasn’t like the cupboard was bare here, either. The administration, with (superintendent) Dr. (Mike) Ross and (high/middle school principal) Mr. (Rob) Nogay, has been so supportive.”

What’s the jump from Class 6A Mount Lebanon to one of the WPIAL’s smallest public schools been like?

“The only difference is with the number of kids,” Niedbala said. “Kids are kids. You’re going to coach them and they will respond to how you coach them.”

Kim Niedbala’s father was Rich Niedbala, who coached 31 seasons at Western Beaver and racked up a 192-130-4 record with the Golden Beavers, who now play at what is called Rich Niedbala Field at Memorial Stadium. Kim did not play for his father, but draws from his dad’s experience, just like the other coaches he’s been around through his career, especially Palko. Rich Niedbala passed away in early July.

“I was with Coach Palko for so long and with him so much, I’ve seen every situation, probably, that has come around and how he handled them. I am sure there will be one I haven’t seen, but I know what I was getting into as a head coach,” he said. “There are a lot of little things you have to be readily available for. It’s more off-the-field stuff. Football is football. It’s about how you go about your every day and how we conduct our business every day. That’s been the most crucial part of being with him that I learned.

“Coaching is coaching, though. It’s the same thing. You go all the time and try to get better at coaching. I am always talking about situations and always jotting down stuff or referencing what I did last year and trying it again. That’s always been an advantage for me, having so much coaching experience.”

It was a fresh start for Niedbala and the Scotties.

“Just like anything, the transition takes time. There are certain things I want in place and certain things I want done. The kids are new to my style and how we we operate as a program,” he said. “Kids are kids and they are going to do what you ask them to do. From that aspect, they’ve been awesome. I think we have done a lot of work with film study and trying to teach them the way we want certain things done. They have absorbed a lot and that’s a credit to them.

“I do have a good group of seniors, which is nice, with a good number of underclassmen mixed in. It’s not always the easiest when you have a transition in coaching. We’re trying to implement and do some things the way I want to and they’ve bought in.”

Not only does Niedbala have to adjust to a new team, but a new set of opponents as well. He did not coach against any of the teams Union plays this year.

“Everybody will be new. The good part is, that’s why they have film,” he said. “I have known Coach Matsook at Rochester forever and I know what he likes to do. It’s going to be new, as far as competition and coaches, which is fine. At the end of the day, though, it doesn’t matter what the other teams do, it’s a matter of if we can get our team ready. It’ll be nice to get back. Lawrence County and Beaver County. I grew up 15 minutes from these places. It’ll be nice to get on these grass fields everybody has on Friday nights.”

Bradley was on a roll at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

After taking over the Chargers in 2016, a year after the program went winless, he turned them into a WPIAL power. He amassed a 49-19 record in six seasons, won a WPIAL Class 1A title in 2018 and finished as WPIAL runner-up last fall.

However, Bradley resigned in early January. He wasn’t unemployed long as he accepted the Ellwood City coaching position days later.

“It’s just a good challenge. We’ve seen them on film a couple times for scrimmages. I thought they always had talent and potential,” he said. “It was just time for me for a change and to see what would happen. I was fortunate enough to have a job offer and — Ellwood City it is.”

Bradley takes over a Wolverines program that has struggled for the past decade. Ellwood City brings a 25-game losing streak into the regular season. The Wolverines’ last triumph occurred on Oct. 26, 2018. The program’s last winning season came in 2011.

Bradley replaces Lamenza, who failed to get a win in his three seasons. Nevertheless, Bradley credits Lamenza for generating interest in the program’s lower levels.

“We have five seniors and three juniors, but the numbers are great in the freshman and sophomore classes. We have 37 players there. I think the interest is building,” Bradley said. “I think Joe Lamenza has done a good job creating interest in the sport at the younger grades. Hopefully, the guys we have coming up keep playing through their junior and senior seasons.”

Injuries forced Ellwood City to play a lot of underclassmen last year. The team was outscored 321-40. However, the defeats didn’t diminish the team’s spirits.

“They are good kids. They show up and work hard. They are committed. They don’t have an attitude or a work ethic of an 0-25 team. They work hard and we compete at practice,” Bradley said. “Come Friday nights, we want to compete and win. I think we’ll have some opportunity to do that this season.”

Bradley gives the program a fresh start. Helling Stadium has a new look, too, with lockerroom renovations, a new track and artificial turf. However, delivery of the synthetic grass has been delayed, which forced the Wolverines to play some of their scheduled home games on the road.

“I know we moved one game already. Hopefully, we’ll be able to play at home against Western Beaver (Sept. 23),” Bradley said.

Bradley and his staff have been pleased with the team’s buy-in, so far.

“It’s been a great first six-seven months. The commitment has been there. I think we’re ready to get playing,” he said. “Probably the biggest challenge is we don’t have a lot of experienced seniors. Brighton Mariacher and Aaron Hobel are experienced, but the other guys are kind of unproven. There were a lot of freshmen that played last year and that experience is benefitting them this year.”

Previously, Bradley coached at Sto-Rox (2012-13) and Ambridge (2014-15). The Vikings finished at WPIAL Class 1A runners-up twice and he got the Bridgers into the playoffs in 2015. So, he’s used to rebuilding programs with productive offenses led by standout quarterbacks. He and his staff challenge the Wolverines’ players in order to learn their capabilities.

“We sort of just throw it all out there and see what we can grasp. We want to see what our quarterback’s strengths are and try to cater our offense off what the quarterback, the line and the running backs can do,” he said. “Some things work, some don’t. If they don’t work, we get rid of it. It’s a lot of trial and error to see what works. We have a lot of competition at a lot of positions. So, it’s a lot of trial and error to see what works for which quarterback. Right now, we have two quarterbacks competing and they have different strengths. Each one’s playbook a little different from the other.”

Bradley looks for things to click quickly for Ellwood City.

“The biggest challenge is just believing in yourself and believing in your teammates,” he said. “I think our skill is pretty big and pretty good. We just have to create some holes and opportunities for running backs and quarterbacks.”

Joe Sager is a former full-time sports writer for the New Castle News and currently freelances for the News and other Western Pennsylvania newspapers.

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